Angel Of The Future
by Carolyn L. Prime
Summary: The third and final part to The Angel Trilogy. Angel is ten years older and the head of the UEO Archaeology Department. She is sent with her team aboard seaQuest for another archaeological dig, which anonys Hudson, amuses Ford and Shocks O'Neill in more w


The Angel Trilogy:  
Part 3. Angel of the Future.  
By Carolyn L. Prime.   
  
  
seaQuest time line: Year 2032 after the final episode.  
  
  
seaQuest, Lt Tim O'Neill's Quarters.  
  
  
Lieutenant Tim O'Neill had been lying on his bed trying to get some sleep, but ever since Captain Oliver Hudson told the seaQuest crew that they were to go on a excavation mission with a team of UEO maritime archaeologists, he had found himself thinking. His brain remembered the time, 12 years ago now, when seaQuest under the command of Captain Nathan Bridger, went to help maritime archaeologists in Australia on the remains of a wooden vessel the Eliza. That was a fond memory for O'Neill it was the first time he met Angel Wilson. They had met and fell in love aboard the seaQuest. Two years later she was back on seaQuest, and their relationship had grown in that time, even though they were separated for most of it. Tim thought of what would have happened if the seaQuest had never disappeared. He played this game a lot with himself, maybe he and Angel would have married, may be they would have had kids. He stopped himself from playing his 'maybe' game. He was living in the past. Reaching across to the bedside cupboard, he pulled a piece of paper out of the book that lay there. Tim read the poem written on it:  
  
Where love is planted there it grows  
It buds and blossoms like a rose  
There is no flower half so sweet  
As absent lovers when they meet  
- Maria Turner, 1841.  
  
Angel had given him that poem before she left seaQuest after her second visit to the submarine. It felt like four months ago that she was aboard her, but Tim knew that those three days on Hyperon was ten Earth years. Ten years was a long time to be gone, and now he could not find her. He looked at the 19th century compass it reminded him of Angel's words:  
  
"To help guide you home to me!"  
  
He smiled sadly, God if they only knew what was to come. Ever since returning home, Tim had tried to find Angel, but had no luck. It was like she had disappeared too! Tim thought. She was Australian and ever since Australia had formed Macronesia, there was no way to find her. Not even his UEO access had enabled him to find her, Lucas was to be his last hope, but this was not even possible. Hudson had not allowed any hacking to be done in case they tracked it to the seaQuest. Cyclically Tim thought the seaQuest is big enough to be seen on sonar anyway! He looked at the material things Angel had given him; they were all placed on the bedside cupboard, it was his shrine to what love they had. Tim would trade them all in, if he could just get Angel back. He sat up and looked at a photo of them together. Angel would be 35 now, and Tim didn't look as if he was 40 years old! He wondered if she had married someone else and had kids. Tim thought his heart would break if he knew the truth to that question.  
Tim O'Neill got out of his bed; it was this damned excavation that made him think more and more of her. The UEO was sending the seaQuest to help in the excavation of the war submarine prototype Ares-0012 that had sunk five years ago with all hands on deck. They had just found the war machine and now the UEO's maritime archaeological team, a section of the UEO science department introduced the same year as the seaQuest disappeared, was going to be excavated. Tim sighed, he needed sleep, but while his mind thought of Angel, he was prisoner to the longing to find her, to be with her and to love her. Laying back down he tried to get to sleep, but sleep came in the end. His mind and heart wanted the past again, were he and Angel were together, in love and immortal.   
  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
One Week Later...  
Outside the seaQuest, on board the Fortuna.  
  
Doctors Angel Wilson and Jeff Petrie sat in the mini sub, the Fortuna, they went over their notes they had on the Ares.  
"It's an impressive war machine, hey Angel?" Jeff said looking over the war sub's layout, while the noisy chatter of their excavation team of twelve rose around them.  
"That it is!" Angel said looking up at him. Her heart rate quickened and her stomach had butterflies in it. "Where has she been?" Angel asked looking at the seaQuest.  
"Reports are allusive, they're covering something up about what happened to her." Jeff said to his dear friend.  
"Mm." Was all Angel did besides staring at the beautiful submarine. "He's on her you know!" She stated. Jeff didn't have to ask who she was referring to, he knew it was Lt Tim O'Neill, that she was talking about. At Angel's side there was a noise and then her daughter Emogene woke up.  
The nine-year-old child looked sleepy eyed at her mother. "Are we there yet?" she asked.  
"Kiddo have a look out the window!" Jeff told her.   
Looking out the window Emogene's blue eyes became as big as sauces when she saw the seaQuest. "Mum is that her, is that the seaQuest?"  
"Yes that's her, sweetheart!" Angel said smiling at her child. The child became excited, her mother and her grandmother told her stories about the majestic submarine, the seaQuest, and her dream was to see her and her crew.  
"Mummy, who is her Captain?" Emogene asked.  
"Captain Hudson." Angel answered; she would have said a few unpleasant things about the man if Emogene weren't there. He was rude, arrogant and pigheaded, and she found all this through a Vid Link conversation a week ago with him. They had gotten off on the wrong foot and there was no way to make any of this better. Part of this lay with the fact that Hudson did not like his 'submarine' being used in an unpractical way.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
seaQuest, Launch Bays.  
  
seaQuest's Commander, Jonathon Ford and her Captain, Oliver Hudson stood waiting for the maritime archaeologists to step out from the launch bay.  
"seaQuest has dealt with maritime archaeologists before." The Commander told Hudson. "Both seaQuest crew and the archaeological team worked well together, sir!"  
"That they would Commander, but the head of this operation is a stubborn woman who wants me to bend over backs for her." Hudson replied.  
Ford wondered if it was the Captain's nature that made the woman come across as this. "When Dr St Claire was aboard there were..." But Hudson cut him off.  
"Commander I am sure it was successful, but I doubt it will work this time!" The Captain told his young commander.  
"Yes sir." Ford said as he watched the launch bay door open to reveal Jeff Petrie and Angel Wilson standing there.  
"Well if seaQuest ain't got some old ghosts aboard her!" The Commander said smiling at the pair. "Jeff, Angel good to see you both, and here I thought the brig was getting lonely!" Ford said looking at them and reminding them of the first time they were aboard the seaQuest.  
"Commander Ford, well if one thing hasn't changed aboard seaQuest it's you!" Jeff said. "And by the way, it's Doctor Jeff Petrie now!"  
Captain Hudson looked at Ford. "You know them?"  
"Yes, they were Dr St Claire's research assistants." Ford answered.  
Jeff smiled. "Now I am research partner to Dr Angel Wilson." He said to Ford and the Captain. Angel went over to them.  
"Hello Captain Hudson, Commander Ford. Our team of twelve are ready to board seaQuest and we can get this excavation under way." Angel said. Ford looked at her, she had changed, not just by getting older, but it seemed as if her life source was gone.  
"Very good Dr Wilson." Hudson said that as maritime archaeologists began to come out of the hatch in launch bay 4, they carried cases of various things. Hudson got a launch bay worker to bring the archaeologists to were the moon pool was located in sea deck to bring their equipment. Jeff picked up his bag when Emogene stepped forward.  
Oliver Hudson looked at her. "What is she doing here?" He asked Jeff.  
But it was Angel who answered. "She is my daughter and were I go, she goes!"  
"Not on my vessel!" Hudson said.  
"She is not allowed to run about she knows that, she has been on other subs like this." Angel said.  
Emogene looked at her mother. "But mum the seaQuest is a one of the kind, she has the power and the resources to do anything." She said.  
Commander Ford smiled; the kid had her mother's black hair and blue eyes. While on the bridge of her nose there were freckles dusted upon it. "I see we have a fan!"  
"Yes sir." Emogene's childlike voice said powerfully as she saluted the seaQuest Commander.  
"Captain I see no harm in letting the child aboard." Jonathon told his Captain.  
"We're not a playpen, Commander." Hudson said.  
Angel became offended, but quickly Jeff stepped in. "Captain, Emogene always comes with us and is always with Angel or myself."  
"My crew will not be excepted to look after her." Oliver Hudson said gruffly.  
"We would never dream of it!" Answered a sarcastic Angel.  
"She will be with our team at all times." Jeff said hoping the Captain would allow Emogene to stay. Jeff knew that if the child weren't allowed to stay, Angel wouldn't stay either.  
"Make sure you keep an eye on your daughter then Dr Petrie." Captain Hudson said.   
Emogene laughed. "Did you hear that he thinks Uncle Jeff is my daddy, when dad is on..."  
Angel cut her daughter off. "Come on sweetheart get your things and will go to our room."  
Ford looked at Jeff. "Uncle Jeff?" He said his eyebrows raised in amusement.   
"Yeah the kid loves her Uncle Jeff!" Jeff told him as they walked down the corridor. "Just like I'm sure she'll love her Uncle Commander Ford!" He said with a laugh.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
seaQuest, The Bridge.  
  
Lt Tim O'Neill sat at his communications station on the bridge. Last night, like every other night, he had a bad nights sleep, but soon his shift was about to end. Captain Hudson and Commander Ford were back from welcoming the archaeological team to seaQuest. Tim wanted to ask questions about these people, but he found Captain Hudson unapproachable. That left Commander Ford, but he had not said anything to the bridge crew. And why would he? O'Neill thought. When his shift was over Tim got up to leave the bridge. Jonathon Ford, Commander of the seaQuest, walked over to him.  
"Tim you look as if you need to talk to someone! May be you should talk to Darwin, if you can't talk to your friends." He told O'Neill.  
Tim looked at the Commander, there was something in the way he had said that, which made Tim think he should go to see Darwin. "Thank you, Commander!"   
Tim made his way down the corridors to the moon pool were he would find Darwin.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
seaQuest, Sea Deck.  
  
The cases for the excavation had been stored in the room that had once been apart of the science labs of seaQuest ten years earlier. Jeff and Angel sent their people to either rest or sit in the mess hall of the seaQuest, as they would not reach the site of the Ares until the following day. Jeff had gone with Emogene for a walk around the vessel, while Angel sat alone in the old labs near the moon pool. It was eerie being there in those labs after so many years. Then she reminded herself that this was not the original seaQuest, the first one had gone down twelve years ago. To keep herself company, while she was alone, Angel began to sing an old song that her mother would played when she was alive and longed for Angel's father:   
  
I've felt you coming boy, as you drew near   
  
Angel changed the sex of the person being sung to suit her, as a female speaking to a male.  
  
I knew you'd find me, cause I longed you here  
Are you my destiny? Is this how you'll appear?  
Wrapped in a coat with tears in your eyes?  
Well take that coat babe, and throw it on the floor  
Are you the one that I've been waiting for?  
  
Angel stopped and went through the section she was reading again, but she hummed the tune in her head. Then she began to sing again, when it came to the part were she knew the words, this time a little louder than before:  
  
O we will know, won't we?  
The stars will explode in the sky  
O but they don't, do they?  
Stars have their moment and then they die  
  
As Tim grew closer to the moon pool, he could hear the singing, but all of a sudden it stopped. He guessed it was one of the crew down here. He went and saw Darwin. Patting the dolphin, he began to talk.  
"Are you lonely Darwin?"  
"Darwin has friends!" The computer translated.  
"Don't you want your mate?" Tim asked.  
"Darwin has friends!" Darwin repeated. Tim sighed; he was thinking of Angel. Then he heard the singing again. It was the same song just a different section:  
There's a man who spoke wonders though I've never met him  
He said, "He who seeks finds and who knocks will be let in"  
  
  
"Angel sings!" Darwin said.  
"No it's just a person, Darwin, not an angel." Answered Tim, as he thought the dolphin meant angel as in the religious sense of the word. Just then Angel walked back into the area were the moon pool was, she had to get some information from a case in a containment room. As she went through the papers, she continued to sing:   
  
  
I think of you in motion and just how close you are getting  
And how every little thing anticipates you  
All down my veins my heart-strings call  
Are you the one that I've been waiting for?  
  
  
Tim looked at her, was she a ghost of his past? Angel looked up and saw Tim.  
"Hi Timmy." She said and went back to reading the papers. She looked up again, were her eyes playing tricks on her? Angel dropped her papers on the floor, went closer to Tim.  
"Are you a ghost?" She asked.  
"I was going to ask you the same thing." He told her.  
"Tim, is it..." Her voice trailed off.  
"Yes it's me, Angel." His said softly as he saw the tears fall from her eyes. Tim moved closer to her; he wiped her tears away. Then he pulled her closer. "I have been looking for you. But Australia isn't the easiest place to look these days." He told her.   
"I know." Said Angel she looked at him. "I haven't live in Australia for some years now, Tim. I left sometime before Australia's government changed, it wasn't safe anymore for us, and so I have never been back."  
Tim looked at her she wore a khaki green uniform of the UEO. "I'm the head of the UEO's marine archaeology department. Its Dr Wilson now, Tim!" She told him smiling. "Jeff is my research partner. We left Australia together, it was because of work, but I did want to raise my child in our birth land." She said running along with her words, she did not take note into what she was saying. "You'll love Emogene, Tim I know it."  
The word child and then the name, Emogene were like a knife to Tim, she had a child. It was killing him inside.  
"It's good to see you!" He said with a weak smile. "Ten years is along time, so are you and Jeff happy?"  
"Yes, its great, well not so much as to the fact we are looking mostly at new ships and that, but still we like maritime archaeology."  
Frustrated Tim said to her. "I meant together, as in lovers, as in husband and wife."  
Angel looked at him. She realised that some how Tim got it all wrong! "I'm not married, and I am not with Jeff."  
"You've a child!" He said.  
"Tim sit down." Angel said indicating to the chair near by. She swallowed hard. "There's something I have to tell you! The day that I first met your mother, she told me that the seaQuest had disappeared with all hands on board. That same day I had been at the doctor's to find out I was pregnant. Tim, I was carrying your child. We had a little girl, Emogene Poppy O'Neill. Born five months after seaQuest had disappeared."  
Tim O'Neill stared at her. He loved her and here she was telling him she had his child. "My mom knows?" He questioned.  
Angel nodded. "Yes, we always believed if that seaQuest was found and you were alive, I would tell you about your daughter."  
He could only stare at her. "Why didn't you tell when we got back?"  
"Because for the last ten years everyone was finding the seaQuest or a member of her crew that disappeared had reappeared. Tim, the pain I have lived through was too much and this time, I didn't know what to believe. A week back I got told to board seaQuest to excavate the Ares. Later I talked to your mum, she had been waiting for me to finely realise that the seaQuest and her crew were back." Angel said as her body shook, and the tears just came out. Without thinking Tim held her.  
"I'm here Angel, I'm home and I'm yours!" He said as he kissed her lips. They held on to each other. They were like that even when Angel had stopped crying. Tim just held her as comfort for both of them. He kissed her.  
"I love you." Tim told her.  
"And I love you, Tim." Angel said as she laid her head on his shoulder.  
"Mum?" The child's voice questioned as she found her mother in the arms of a man.  
"Emogene." Angel said as she sprang out of Tim's loving hold. She felt like a teenager being caught by her parents with a boy. "Emogene, come here sweetheart." Emogene went to her mother, but all the while she stared at the man who had held her mother.   
Jeff walked in to the room. "Kiddo you can't run off if the Captain..." He trailed off when he saw Tim. "I'll leave you all to talk!" He said high tailing it out of there.  
"Emogene, this is Lt Tim O'Neill." Angel said to her daughter.  
Emogene looked at her mother the suspicion was no longer in her eyes. She smiled as she looked at the man more closely; yes he was the man in all the photos that her mum and nanna O'Neill had shown her throughout their stories of her father. "Daddy?" Emogene questioned then she flung herself into her father's arms. "Daddy!" She cried. "Where have you been? Mum is lonely without you, and I all want is to know you and for you to love me, like I you!" She sobbed to him.  
Tim held her close, he felt his throat tighten up. An hour ago he was a bachelor longing for his lover. Now he was a father, and all he wanted to do was protect his child and her mother. He hugged her tightly as though she would disappear from sight. Tim looked at Angel; she was smiling as tears fell from her eyes. He motioned her to come to him. She was hesitating, Angel wanted it to be Emogene and Tim's moment together, but Tim wanted her there. She went to them; Tim pulled her into their hugging embracing. They were a family.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
seaQuest, VIP Quarters, Angel and Emogene's room.  
  
Emogene stared at the pictures in the locket her nanna O'Neill had given her; the photos were of her mother and father. She smiled she understood that her father had been missing all those years ago, but now he was back. Quickly she let go of the locket and looked at herself in the mirror. Both her parents were going to be present at their dinner in the quarters, that Emogene wanted to look her best for her dad. Her Uncle Jeff stood not far by as she tucked in her t-shirt into her jeans.   
"How do I look, Uncle Jeff?" She was self-conscious of her looks even though she was so young.  
"You look very beautiful." Jeff answered; he wondered how she was dealing with all of this. Her father had been a man of myth and legend for so long and now he was reality, Jeff was worried about Emogene.  
"You know kiddo it will be all right! Your dad is a good man and he is shocked now, but later he will be used of the idea that he has a little girl."  
"Uncle Jeff do you think he loves me?" Emogene wanted love from her never present father figure.  
"Time will tell! He has to get to know you first!" Jeff said as Emogene nodded. Angel walked into her quarters just then. She had been having a shower and now she was dressed and changed.  
"Mum you look pretty!" Said Emogene with excitement dancing in her eyes.   
Angel looked at the black skirt and red shirt she wore. It was plan and casual, this was a dig not a fashion show! But at this moment she wanted a sexy black dress or something that Tim might like to put back the spark in their relationship. "It's fine for now! Emogene are you all right?" Angel looked at her daughter; she looked scared and unsure.  
Emogene just nodded.  
"It will be all right sweetheart." Angel smiled and picked up her daughter. "You're getting so big, I won't be able to pick you up anymore." Emogene giggled as her mother kissed her. "I love you Em, and your dad will too!"  
"Mum, he may not want me?" Emogene said.  
"If he is like that then we leave, OK!" Angel said the full extent of what Emogene felt hit her. Angel looked at Jeff. "Tim's going to be here soon."  
"I got the message, you ladies want to get rid off me!" Jeff said with a mocking sigh. "Good bye, my dears"  
Angel and Emogene laughed; he sounded just like Dr St Claire. Angel put her daughter down. "Shall we do our hair?" Angel asked and in the next moments she was plaiting her daughters hair into pigtails. As Angel brushed and tied her own hair back, there was a knock on the door. Emogene opened the door to reveal Lt Tim O'Neill and Dagwood.  
"Hello!" Emogene said to the GELF.  
"Um hello!" Dagwood answered. He looked at Tim. "Were do you want Dagwood to put the tray?"  
"On the table Dagwood." Tim said. He smiled at Emogene. "Dagwood there is someone you have to meet!"   
"Who?" Dagwood asked.  
"You remember Angel from last time when she was aboard seaQuest!" Tim said bringing Dagwood's attention to Angel.  
"Um, yes, hello Angel." Dagwood said slowly.  
"Hi Dagwood, it's good to see you again!" Angel said to Dagwood as she moved forward. Dagwood had been carrying a tray of food.  
"Well this is Emogene O'Neill!" Tim said proudly. He was like any father proud of what he had help make.  
"She has your name Tim!" Dagwood said he had realised the name O'Neill meant something important.  
"Yes Dagwood, that's because she's my daughter." Tim said smiling. Both Emogene and Angel watched Tim he was so proud and happy, that Emogene knew soon enough that her dad wanted her. Dagwood did not stay long, but he went with a smile on his face, from the kindness he got from Tim's daughter.  
As they sat at the table, Tim said to Emogene. "I didn't know what food you like! So I got you a bit of everything."   
Emogene nodded. "I like chocolate cake." She said smiling as she looked at the desert.  
"That is for later, Emogene. Now you have to eat your vegetables first!" Angel said as Emogene screwed up her face.  
Emogene looked to Tim for help. "Your mom is right! Vegetables first, chocolate cake later." Tim looked at Angel with a hoping look he had done the right thing. Angel smiled and nodded to him. Tim looked at her and said. "Can I have chocolate cake first?"  
"Tim, you too have to have your vegetables." Angel said shaking her head and laughing.  
"It's all right daddy, we'll have our vegetables first, then chocolate cake." Emogene said as she sat at the round metal table. The meal went rather smoothly that Tim learnt that his only child was like him, she had a knack for foreign languages.  
"It was Nan who got mummy to enrolled me in a language course." Emogene told her father.  
Tim thought it was just like his mother to do that sort of thing. Angel nodded and said. "Yes your nanna did tell me too, but sweetheart I think I would have realised that you are so much like your daddy." Tim liked hearing that name. He watched Emogene as Angel continued to talk. "I would have sent you to do more with linguistics, I would never have stopped you!"  
"I know." Emogene smiled. She looked at Tim; they were like a proper family, and just like her best friend Kyle had. "Mum said she wished I would learn the Viking language, so I have taken up the challenge."  
Angel laughed. "Tim now she is bragging, because I told her you couldn't speak a word of it and I told her that one day I may need someone who speaks Viking!"   
Tim smiled. "So are you good?" He asked his daughter.  
Emogene nodded and then said to her father in the Viking tongues of the Danes. "It is good to see you, my father." Which she told him was the translation. Tim looked at Angel he did not know who was choked up more him or her? They talked for a bit longer, and ate the chocolate cake. They were still talking, when Emogene yawned and Angel announced that she had to go to bed. Tim thought he should go and was about to, when Emogene looked at him with her blue eyes, that they were so much like her mother's.  
"Dad can you tuck me in?" she asked.  
"Sure," Tim told her. Earlier he had noticed the lounge suite in the VIP room had blankets and a pillow on them.  
Emogene looked at her mother. "Where am I to sleep?"  
"In the bed, I'll take the lounge!" Angel said. Tim looked at her questioning why they had such an arrangement. She answered his look with. "Hudson was not very forth coming with the help and sleeping arrangements of a child." She would have said more, but bit her tongue.   
Emogene put on her PJ's that Tim's mother had brought her, which had cute little bunnies all over them, then both her parent's tucked her in bed. Each giving her a kiss, she smiled happily. "I don't want to sleep!" She yawned. "If I do this might be a dream!" She told them as her arms held her teddy bear close.  
"It's no dream, Em, I'm really here." Tim told her with one more kiss on the top of her head. Angel had left them alone she was near the lounge suite making up her own bed. When Tim came behind her. "You shouldn't have to sleep on that!" He told her.  
"Mm!" Angel made the noise, but did not speak; her words of Hudson would shock Tim.   
"So he hasn't been friendly?" Tim said handing her a pillow. "He's always like that to me!"   
Angel looked at him. "Yeah well Captain Hudson, has no right to do that to you! But me and Jeff to him are a waste of time."  
"A waste of time?" Tim was confused.  
"Yeah, a waste of time. There is a war going on and he wants to be a part of it. Not on a dig for some war ship, that the UEO wants looked at. And the thing is that this war with Macronesia I want him to help, I want the UEO to regain my home." Tears fell from her eyes. "There are innocent people who are dying are not thought of are they?"  
Tim thought of Lieutenant James Brody. "Yes they are. Jim was killed, trying to save Lonnie." He told her.  
Angel through tear strained eyes looked at him. "Jim? God, he was so nice and kind. See the war is hard, so hard and when someone like Hudson treats us like we are unwanted I just wanted to runaway forever. My mother was killed in the group mascara on UEO personnel in the Sydney headquarters, Tim. We were in New Cape Quest at the time discussing new techniques in maritime archaeology with the big wigs. President Bourne had a video sent on what had happened, he also gave a list in the names. I have no family left, except for Emogene." She looked to see her daughter was asleep. "She has dreams of it and fears that it will happen here too. She is only a child and yet no one sees what a child has on their minds."  
Tim listened to her, he wondered how she coped with all of this, but knew that Angel as a Catholic would have looked to God, or turned him away. "So you went to my mom?"  
"Yeah!" She moved sightly, the button of her shirt came undone and revealed a necklace with a ring on it. Without think O'Neill picked it up and looked at it. It was the ring his Grandmother had left him. "I lied to your mum, Tim. I told the priest what I had done, but he said it was not to much of a crime."  
"What did you tell her?" Tim asked with a curious look on his face.  
"I told her we were engaged to be married, when you disappeared. I didn't want her to think her son had no honour, getting some woman pregnant. And I didn't want anyone hurting Emogene, because I loved her father."  
"I love you, Angel Wilson." He said with a smiled. "You have a good heart!"   
"I should give it back to you, so you can give it to a special woman one day when you find her." Angel went to remove the necklace.  
Tim's face looked hurt. "Don't you love me?"  
Angel looked at him. "Yes I do, I always had. I prayed for you to return to Emogene and me. I have spurned away more men then I can count, all wanting to marry me or be my lover. But none were the one man I wanted or I needed. They were not Tim O'Neill." She gave him the ring.  
Tim looked at it; he would have asked Angel to marry him, if he had not been taken with the rest of the seaQuest crew to Hyperon. He still wanted to marry her and why not? They loved each other and know each other well; they also had a child. Do you want to be in for the long haul? He asked himself. The answer was yes. He got down on his knees and said. "Doctor Angel Wilson, I love you so much and I want you to be my wife. Would you do me that honour?"  
Angel stared at him. Did she still love him? Yes. Enough to marry? Of course. Nothing could stop her, she looked at Emogene's sleeping body. Except a child, but this was her father. "I've changed!"  
Tim sighed. He was waiting for a no, but he guessed she was being careful, telling him all her faults. "I like what I have seen so far!"  
"I work late and when I work on something I can't stop!"  
He smiled. "I'll make you coffee!"  
"I like to sleep in!"  
He was still smiling. "So do I!"  
"I want a big family, lots of children!"  
He cocked his head to the side. "I'll be busy then, huh?"  
"I like chocolate and I can't cook as good as your mum, but she has been teaching me when I visit."  
"Cooking isn't everything, and I can help you. And you like my mum and she must like you, so how about a yes for Tim?" He told her hopefully.  
She sat on the lounge. She looked at him, she loved him, and she never stopped. "Yes" she said.  
He looked at her not moving a muscle. "Tim!" she said. "I said 'yes'"  
"I know!" He said smiling and he slipped the ring on her figure. His hands touched her face affectionately, and then they kissed. When they broke a part Tim O'Neill stared at her. "You've made me a happy man!"  
"I've made me a happy woman. But I still can't believe you are here! You have to tell me everything."  
"It's a long story." Tim said.  
"Well you better come and sit here next to me!" She told him. And he did. Sitting on the lounge he told her what happened to the seaQuest. He even told her about Miguel, his best friend, who was also her friend too.   
"My God, Miguel and Jim gone. May they be kept safe in heaven." she said and doing the sign of the cross, she looked at Tim. "You know that story is as good as mine and Jeff's conspiracy theories.  
Tim O'Neill had to laugh; the last time they were aboard, Jeff and Angel had worked out a conspiracy about food poisoning, which was not far from the truth. They talked more and then Tim left, he was a very happy man.  
  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
seaQuest, Crew Mess Hall.  
  
Angel and Emogene sat at the metal table, while Tim went to refill their coffee cups. They had just told Emogene about their engagement. And they saw the child could not get any happier. Both Tim and his daughter, although they did not share looks, they shared similar interests. They both loved sugar coated cereals and as they ate them, Angel said. "We're gonna have to stock up on these with you two and Jeff eating them, we'll run out off them quick." Both Em and Tim smiled at her, both trying to be innocent in their likes, but it didn't work.  
Seaman Tony Piccolo walked casually into the mess hall; he looked for friends to sit with. Then he saw O'Neill. He walked right over to him. "Hey O'Neill. And hello pretty lady." He said to Angel, then stopped and looked at her. He smiled when he realised who it was. "It's good to see someone as pretty as you back aboard this tin boat!"  
"Hello Tony." Angel said with a smile. She had meet Tony the last time and she found him to be a really funny guy.  
"And who's this?" He said looking at Emogene.  
The child introduced herself to Tony. "Emogene O'Neill."   
Tony looked at Tim with a questioning look on his face. Tim smiled. "Yes Tony, she is my daughter!"  
"Congratulations!" Piccolo said. Looking at him Tim knew that by noon today everyone on seaQuest would know that the child with the maritime archaeologist was his.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
  
seaQuest, The Bridge.  
  
When Tim arrived for his duties on the bridge, he was humming an old show tune from the musical Okalahoma! He smiled at Commander Ford.  
"Thank you, Commander the talk at the moon pool did wonders for me!" O'Neill told the commanding office on the bridge.  
"Good to see you back in good spirits, O'Neill!" Ford said as Jeff walked on in.   
"And why wouldn't he be the old fox is engaged!"  
Ford looked at Jeff. "Have you been drinking?"  
"No and I ain't visiting the brig!" Jeff said smiling to him.  
Ford could see the child that had arrived with the archaeologists peeking her head around the door. "Looks like you got a shadow, Jeff?"  
Jeff turned and saw Emogene standing near the door. "Kiddo, what are you doing?"  
"Just wanted to see her bridge." She said innocently.  
Ford smiled. "It's all right Jeff, she can come on the bridge, I handle the Captain."  
"Hear that kiddo your Uncle Commander Ford said it's OK." Jeff said.  
Ford looked at Jeff with a frown, and then he looked at Emogene. "Uncle Jon is just fine."  
"I'm Emogene." She said and shook his hand.  
"Come on I'll show you around." Jonathon said as he made his way to the captain's chair. "Now Uncle Tim here does communications!"  
Emogene laughed. "Uncle Jon, he's dad! Not Uncle Tim!"  
O'Neill looked at his Commander. "I guess you haven't heard yet?" He looked over at Tony Piccolo. "You're getting slack Tony!"  
Tony gave him a grin. "Guess word hasn't travelled that quick. But hey it's not even noon yet!"  
Shaking his head Tim turned back to Ford. "This is Emogene O'Neill, mine and Angel's daughter!"  
"Yeah I think I worked it out Tim." He said and smiled. Then he continued with his tour of the bridge.   
When the tour was done Jeff said. "Come on kid, your mum might be tearing the lab a part or yelling at some undergrad to go find you. We better be going back to her!" And within moments they had left the bridge.  
"Cute kid, Tim!" Lonnie Henderson told her friend.  
"Thanks!" Tim answered.  
While Commander Ford had so many questions only O'Neill could answer. "Your daughter, how O'Neill?"  
"You're a grown man Commander, I don't think I have to tell you!" Tim said smiling.  
"That was stupid thing to ask, I know!" Ford said mumbling. "So what is this engagement, that Jeff mentioned?"  
"I asked Angel to marry me!" Tim said with a goofy grin.  
"Congratulations Lieutenant on both your daughter and your engagement." Ford said shaking the communications officer's hand. As Captain Oliver Hudson walked on to the bridge.  
"How long until we reach the wreck site, Mr O'Neill?" He asked gruffly.  
"Two hours, sir." Tim told him.  
"Right!" He said then looked at Jonathon Ford. "Commander Ford, we have been requested by Dr Wilson for a meeting on this excavation. Lieutenants O'Neill and Henderson and ensign Wolenczak, I have been told you are to come too!" Said an unimpressed Captain who thought this all a waste of time.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
seaQuest, The Wardroom.  
  
Doctors Wilson and Petrie, with their assistants Jake Shooter (Angel's assistant) and Doug Burns (Jeff's assistant), were setting everything up for their talk. When Lucas came into the room.  
"Angel, Jeff it's good to see you both?" He said to them.  
"Hey Lucas!" Jeff said. "So we're navy man now?"  
"Yeah!" Lucas said Jeff always got to the point of a matter.  
"Hi Lucas." Angel said smiling. "I like the hair! But you looked cuter with it short!"  
"You think?" Lucas asked all the others never said a thing about it.  
"Yep! A real heartbreaker with it short!" She told him.  
"Like you would notice!" He said. "I heard on the seaQuest grapevine, that you and Tim are engaged and you have a kid."  
Angel smiled. "It didn't take long to get around!" Soon afterwards everyone else come into the wardroom, while Hudson and O'Neill were the last to arrive. Oliver Hudson heard the rumours about his communications officer, and he had to find out the truth. And for Tim, he did just that, he was much too happy to let Hudson break his happy mood. As soon as everyone was in the wardroom Angel begun to talk.  
"Well there some old faces still aboard seaQuest and a new one!" She said looking at Hudson. "You all know me as Angel, but now I am Dr Angela Wilson and I am the head of the UEO's maritime archaeology unit. Dr Jeff Petrie is my one of my chief staff members, and our assistants Doug Burns and Jake Shooter are with us and will be helping on this excavation. Well that's us, now the Ares." She took a drink of water. "The Ares is as you may all know a war submarine. She went down with all her crew on board, no one survive. The co-ordinates for the Ares have been a mystery for five years now, until someone found her. She lies in the Caribean Sea off the coast of Hispaniola, which her last where abouts was the Timor Sea."  
Ford whistled. "She far away from were she is meant to be."   
Jeff nodded. "Mm, that's right. That is why the UEO has us onto it. As archaeologists we explain the hows and whys of human remains and objects, and this is what we were sent to do." Jeff told everyone and hoped that the Captain would be easier going about it all. Both he and Angel noted this man was no Bridger.  
Agreeing with Jeff, Angel continued. "So we need the help of the seaQuest crew, our people are limited as the UEO wants this as quick and as quiet as possible. Now Lucas..."  
Hudson cut her off. "That's ensign Wolenczak!" He told her.  
Angel ignored him, and the seaQuest staff present all saw it. "Lucas, you will help the program of our site surveyor, which will plot all of our findings. Lt Henderson, you work the WSKERS, you weren't the last time." Angel stopped and thought of Ortiz and so to did everyone else, except Hudson who didn't know the Cuban Sensor Chief. "Your job is to do a sweep of the site and gather sonar readings. Shooter will work with you; he will also be taking photos of the site. Commander you may need to head a team of seaQuest divers, as we lack the people power. However if you remember what Dr St Claire said, we don't like using you military types you tend to stuff it up!"  
Ford nodded. "Yeah he said that to us, so I guess it still stands!"  
"Don't worry Commander, not being prefect for the job wont ruin your rep with the UEO!" Jeff said smiling.   
"Thanks!" A frowning Jonathon Ford said.  
Angel shook her head and then continued to speak this time to O'Neill. "Tim you're my link to Jeff who will be working on site, I will be dry guide for the whole of the excavation. I don't need your linguistic skills this time." She said smiling at him.  
"What a shame!" He commented looking into her eyes. They both held a longing and a desire that only the other could break. And all that were present could see this.  
Jeff cleared his throat to get Angel's attention. Out of her daze she spoke quickly. "Well that is all for now." She looked at Doug. "Help Lucas with the site surveyor to get it up and running."   
Doug nodded. "Sure thing Dr Wilson." He said as Angel throws the disk with the program on it to him. He caught it and rose to go off with Lucas. Like the last time Lucas was excited to be a part of something like this, he was still the teenager they all knew so well, trying to be a man in Hudson's world.  
"Ensign Wolenczak has other duties to perform." Hudson said.  
"Captain, your vessel has been assigned to this by the UEO. Ensign Wolenczak and your other crewmembers are now excavating this site with us by order of the UEO!" Angel told the man she found too arrogant for her liking.  
"Everyone's dismissed, I wish to have a word with Dr Wilson!" Oliver Hudson told the people present.  
Jeff looked at Angel, who signalled for him to leave, which he had to do with the rest of the people there. However out in the corridor he cursed several times loudly to all that heard. He looked at his assistant. "Dr Wilson has given you a job, Doug, do it! We need that program up and running before we reach the site. Shooter check our equipment." All three young men left the group, as Jeff looked at Ford. "I knew this would happen!"  
Henderson looked at him. "Why?"  
"Hudson has a gnat in the side about us being here." He said as they walked the corridor.  
"That's an understate!" Tim muttered. As he remembered what Angel told him.  
Ford looked at the communications officer, but he did not say a word. "He's not like Bridger, willing to help!" Ford said. "But he has too!"  
"Yeah and that's making matters worse!" Jeff answered.  
  
Angel stared at Captain Hudson; the man stared right back.  
"You don't want us here?" She said to him.  
"No I don't, but as you say the UEO has assigned the seaQuest to you and your team." Hudson said.  
"Captain would it make it better if I told you I don't want you or the seaQuest here either. You should be getting some closure on the Macronesian War." Angel said.  
"Funny!" He said. "I heard you and Lt O'Neill are engaged!"  
"Yes that's true!" She answered never moving her gaze.  
"Then I would have thought you would want this?"  
"Oh I do, but you see I want my country to be saved from the control of Bourne and his cronies. I have found the man I love and my daughter's father. That done now I want a home to live!" Angel said.  
Hudson looked at her. "I forgot you're Australian!"  
"Yeah the same with Jeff Petrie! We want the war over with so we can go home, Captain. But the UEO wants the Ares excavated!" She said sighing, Angel noticed that they were talking civilly to one another.  
Oliver Hudson wanted to bring this war to an end too, he knew people who died in the Sydney headquarters massacre. He slowly began to change his mind on the Doctor, but why did the UEO want the sub excavated? He knew that this doctor had the answers, that she did not tell them during the meeting. "Why is that so?" Hudson asked curiously.   
"Because Captain the UEO knew about that the Macronesians were going to take over Australia before it happened. However they were too late when they reach Sydney and the rest of Australia. This information came from the Ares and after it reported all of this, she went missing. The Ares is the ultimate war machine, it would have been quicker, sleeker, and more powerful!"  
"Another seaQuest, how interesting!" Hudson said looking off to the distance.  
"Image if the UEO still had this sub? They could do more in the war than what they are already doing." Angel interjected. "The Ares was a test model and she was in Australian waters, now the UEO believe that Macronesians had something to do with this."  
"So are you guys a cover or for real?" The seaQuest's new Captain asked.  
"We're for real, with the war on we can't actually work in the oceans of the world!" Angel pointed out. "So the UEO sends us to find out why their subs have gone down."  
Hudson wasn't going to apologise to the doctor, but he would say sorry for being rude in his own way. "I think we can work better now knowing all of this!" He told her and their talk was over. Well, Angel thought, the man knows the truth now we can get on and work!  
"The information I gave is top secret Captain! And I want to keep that way." Angel told him as she paused at the door before leaving.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
seaQuest, The Bridge.  
  
An hour ago they had reached the Ares wreck site. As Lt Henderson did sonar readings, Shooter worked with her. He told Angel he thought that Lt Henderson was a hottie. Angel told him that he was not there to pick up chicks, behind her back Shooter sniggered as he had heard all about Dr Wilson and Lt O'Neill's romance aboard the sub. The sonar readings went well there was only one problem and Shooter quickly got Dr Wilson to have a look.  
"Captain we have a problem!" Angel said to Hudson as he stood behind her.  
"What is it?"   
"It appears that the Ares has no debris field or impact markings!" Angel said.  
"Which means?" Questioned Commander Ford.  
"It means the Ares was dumped here. She would have gone down somewhere else." Angel said.  
Jeff looked at her. "It also means that who did it ratted her of her hi-tech equipment." Angel nodded. Jeff looked at Shooter. "Round up the others we're going down!"  
"Shooter take photos, Jeff bring everything back you find." Angel told him as they all burst into action. She went over to Lucas and Doug. "Right boys what have we got on the site surveyor?"  
"Not much!" answered Doug. "It's too prefect to be a wreck!"  
"Yes I feared that." Angel told the young assistant of Jeff's. "The Ares was put there, but by who?" She walked over to O'Neill. "Put me through to Jeff."  
Tim got him as the maritime archaeologist was putting on an EVA suit. "I got him."  
Angel nodded, then put on the headset that Tim gave her. "Jeff, look for towing or shipping marks." She stopped, rubbed her temples then thought for a moment. "Also see that caused the damage to the haul structure."  
"OK, Chief!" Jeff said. "We do that right away!" He broke the connection.  
Angel looked at Tim. "Get me the Sectary General McGrath, Tim on a secure line." As communications officer, Tim O'Neill did everything asked of him. But looking at the woman he loved he knew something was wrong, and it didn't take anyone with a degree to work that out. Even as she paced and bit her nails, he knew she was concern.  
The Sectary General's face came on screen. "Dr Wilson how does everything go?"  
"Sectary General it is like we thought the Ares must have been put here, this is not the original wreck site."  
The blood drained from McGrath's face. "Does this mean that...?" He could not end the questioned he wanted to ask.  
"It is possible that the Macronesian army took care of this." Angel answered what she believed the question being asked.  
"When there is concrete evidence Dr Wilson, get back to me." McGrath ended as the screen went black.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
The Wreck Site of the Ares.  
  
Jeff and Shooter were using two robotic probes, that were small and light weight and allowed for all data to be relayed back to the vessel near by. Shooter's pictures were excellent as he took shots of the outside of the Ares, and what they showed was what Angel had already assumed. There was only the shell of the Ares. Jeff sent his robotic probe inside, which could be controlled, in the underwater environment, there was nothing left on board, the equipment inside the Ares had been taken off her.   
"There's nothing here, Angel! But look at this!" He said as he mauver the probe to the right. On his monitor he could see the tears in the metal from the impact of torpedos, this was relayed back to seaQuest.  
  
Angel stood on the bridge Captain Hudson was near by and so to was Commander Ford.  
"Mother of God, she was hit by torpedos!" Captain Hudson said. All who were on the bridge saw the extent of it all.   
"Jeff." Angel said into the headset. "Bring everyone on site into the seaQuest, we've got enough of it! We have to send some seaQuest people down today!"   
"No can do, Angel! There's a swirl above us, that's it for now." Jeff told her from the wreck site.  
"Damn!" She said. "OK Jeff bring 'em on up to seaQuest." Angel looked at Ford. "Tomorrow Commander you will being going out to the wreck site. We need someone with knowledge of weapons to tell us what hit her. You'll work with Jeff and the others." Angel looked at Hudson. "Prepare yourself Captain, for the information found may mean a break in the fighting effects of the UEO."  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
seaQuest, The Old Science Labs, The Moon Pool, Sea Deck.  
  
While her mother worked through the data that had been found on the Ares wreck site, Emogene sat near her doing her homework on Vietnamese for her language classes. Jeff was with Angel as they looked over the information on the Ares.   
"This is not a normal wreck site!" Angel pointed out.  
"We knew it wouldn't be, Angel!" Jeff replied he looked at his watch. "It's almost tea time!"  
Angel smiled. "Is that your way of calling it a day Doctor?" She questioned with her eyebrows arched.  
"Yep I guess it is!" He said smiling.  
"We'll be back at it tomorrow, so this is it for now." She looked at Emogene and said. "Go with Uncle Jeff to have your tea." Then to both her daughter and Jeff she said "I'll pack everything away." she told them. When they had left she took another looked at the read outs, they did not give any answers.  
Lt Tim O'Neill walked down the corridor to the moon pool; he had a feeling that Angel was there. When he walked in he realised he had been right, for there she stood. Her hair was coming out of the neat plait it had been in all day. She was playing more attention to the papers than to know that he was there in the room with her. Tim walked closer and once he was behind her he slipped his arms around her waist. Angel smiled and lent back into his hold.  
"Lieutenant will the Captain approve of this behaviour?" She asked.  
"I don't know. He has cooled down a bit about your presence here, but I don't know if he would approve. But the main thing is that you approve!" Tim said as he kissed the back of her neck.  
"Mm." She made the noise low and soft. "But I do approve."  
"Good!" He told her. "Now are you coming to eat?"  
"Did Em send you?" She asked as she turned to face him.  
"No, she didn't" He kissed her again this time on the lips. "Come on, Em may send a search party for us." Angel laughed as Tim pulled her along to go to the mess hall. Once at the mess hall they found Jeff and Emogene sitting at a table with Ford, Henderson and Piccolo. The group made room for then to sit and eat with them at the banquet of food they had chosen. They sat talking and joking around and it seemed like the first time or even the previous visit to seaQuest all over again, except the crew had not known what had happened on earth for the past ten years. They were still in the mess hall when everyone was gone and Emogene wanted to go to bed. Tim and Angel took their daughter to Tim's quarters, as it was closer if Em needed them. They tucked her in the bed, and she fell straight to sleep as her head hit the pillow. They left the room and went back to talk with their friends.  
While Tim and Angel had been putting their daughter to bed, the conversation had gone to the little girl that Tim had carried out of the mess hall.  
"Tim was telling me she can speech a few foreign languages!" Lonnie Henderson said.  
"Can she ever! At first I thought Tim's mother was interfering in how Angel was raising Emogene. The woman is hard, as anything wants everyone to do what she thinks is right. Shit I can't believe Tim is even in the navy, I doubt she would have allowed it." Jeff said. None of Tim O'Neill's friends said a word, the man's mother wasn't bad as Jeff made everyone believe, and she loved her family so much.  
Ford changed the topic. "So when did the UEO get its own maritime archaeology department?"  
"It officially came under way four months after you guys disappeared." Jeff answered and everyone fell silent. After a moment Jeff continued to talk. "Dr St Claire had been proposing the idea for sometime. He actually had McGrath convinced when we were here last on the seaQuest for the underwater environmental conference. He had it all worked out what was to happen to maritime archaeology under the UEO." At that moment Angel and Tim returned back. "Dr St Claire had a dream and he said that Angel would for fill it as the Head of the department after he left. I had gotten a job at the National Maritime Museum in Australia after we got our PhDs, Angel had stayed with Dr St Claire." Jeff smiled at Angel.  
"He still needed someone to help!" She said. "Especially when he started to create this new department."  
"Yeah he did. Angel was going to lecture at a university, but things happened!" Jeff said.  
"What happened?" Asked Tony Piccolo. Henderson, Ford and O'Neill stared at him, they all realised it was because of having a child her life changed.  
"I found out I was pregnant, then the seaQuest was missing, Dr St Claire saw the despair I was suffering and looked after me. The University didn't want a lecturer for only a short time so looked for someone else. So Dr St Claire told me to help him. When I had Emogene, I was at my family's home on the coast of South Australia. While Dr St Claire was in Sydney, I was able to work at home and send him information." Angel smiled thinking of her brother and his family who owned the old Wilson farm on the coast that over looked the sea of Gulf St Vincent. She wondered how he was? Actually she wondered if he was alive? "I lived with my brother Pete and his family on the family farm. Our mum was in Sydney, she worked as a nurse for the UEO. Then I went back to Sydney when Emogene was three and we lived with my mum." Tears came down her cheeks; Tim took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze.  
Ford watched her. "Did something happen to her?"  
"It has to do the change of government in Australia." Tim answered.  
"Dr St Claire convinced Jeff to come back and work with us. We were at New Cape Quest and I brought Emogene along so she could visit Tim's mum." Angel paused and looked at Jeff.  
"Do you want me to tell it?" He asked.  
"No!" She said to him. At this moment Hudson was about to enter the mess hall when he heard the story being started. "We were in a conference, I had put Emogene in the day care centre in the UEO headquarters in New Cape Quest. The whole place was buzzing with activity there was a rumour that word had been received that Australia had changed policies and was declaring war on the UEO. An hour after this was received; we were in a meeting about the income and technology for a new project, when on the Vid Link there was an announcement to the whole world that Australia was now under Macronesian rule. They had taken over the UEO headquarters in Australia, and then they proceeded to show us the massacre of all the people. We all sat there shock and disturbed by it all." The tears ran freely down her cheeks now. Tim put his arms around her and drew her close to his body.  
Jeff continued. "Angel's mum was one of the hundreds that were killed that day. And we all saw her being killed. Even the kids in the day care centre saw what had happened. Em saw her grandmother being..." Jeff couldn't finish it. He swallowed hard. "My wife was there too she was among then." Jeff stood up. "I'll leave you all now!" He said. He walked out and saw Captain Hudson. He spoke harshly. "Did you have a good listen. We have been hurt more than what the UEO has and yet they can not get the land that was once Australia, a proud island nation, back." He went off. Hudson went into the mess hall his Commander and two Lieutenants were there, as well as Tony Piccolo. He looked at the doctor, why was it everytime he heard something about her he admired her more and more? He questioned himself. Angel wiped her eyes.  
Lonnie asked. "Are you all right?"  
Angel smiled at her, she remembered a jealous Lonnie of 10 years ago and now this one was different, she was caring and kind. Angel saw the friend that Tim had enjoyed the company of so many times. "Yeah I just don't get over what happen."  
Captain Oliver Hudson stared at her. He ignored his people as he spoke. "Like you I too was touched by what happen, my best friend Carl and his family were there and they too were murdered!" He stated and left as though he said nothing. Ford, Henderson, O'Neill and Piccolo watched there Captain leave and they finally understood why this war was too important to him. Tim O'Neill realised more than the others did why this was so. And Tim also realised why the Captain didn't like him so much; Tim didn't want to be a part of this war. The Captain wanted to fight and take the revenge for the death of his friends. Now Tim knew why fighting was so important to Captain Oliver Hudson and with the knowledge he found he admired the Captain more for it. Tim also realised now that this war was important to him, because how it affected Angel and Emogene as well as Jeff.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
The Wreck Site of the Ares.  
  
Commander Jonathon Ford and two other seaQuest crewmembers went onto the wreck site the following day, with Jeff, Shooter and the other archaeological team. They had spent a good two hours looking at the damage made to the haul of the Ares. They collect metal from the wrecked vessel to be tested, while Ford looked at the damage. He realised after sometime that plasma fire and torpedoes made the damage. He reported this to Angel, his final words to her were. "This is the same as other attacks by Macronesians, we have seen."  
Angel reported the findings to Captain Hudson and they both told McGrath. Once they had told him everything, McGrath told them. "Bring the Ares to New Cape Quest for further analysis. See will looked at it here and also I want you both present for a meeting on what you found out about the wreck to a board of UEO people, this could make a difference in the war!" The screen went black. Angel turned to Hudson.  
"So you will get to fight sooner then you thought!" She said as she left. Reminding him that he thought this exercise pointless in the war effect. Angel went and ordered for the Ares to be towed securely by the seaQuest. This was done as soon as possible, once the Ares was secure, then they made their way back to New Cape Quest.   
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
seaQuest's berth at New Cape Quest.  
  
Tony Piccolo and Lucas Wolenczak were walking the corridors to the launch bays. As the seaQuest had brought in the Ares the crew had been given a week's shore leave, which all were glad to take. Arriving to the launch bays they witnessed Angel and Tim kissing, she was saying good bye to Tim and Emogene, as she had to go to the UEO headquarters with the Ares. Angel had left them as Lucas and Tony reached them.   
"So Tim what's happening?" Tony asked.  
"Emogene and I are going to Angel's place to leave our things, then we're going to get something to eat!" Tim answered.  
"Tony, you and Lucas can come!" Emogene told the two as she clapped her hands in excitement.  
Lucas smiled at Emogene; somehow he and Tony were like big brother to her, while Commander Ford was an uncle and Lonnie an aunt. "OK, but we'll make it junk food seen as none of us have had that for a while!" Lucas said to her.  
And so the group of four left the seaQuest to eat out, while Angel and Captain Hudson were at UEO headquarters. Angel and Hudson sat in a conference room as Sectary General McGrath and other heads of the UEO were present.  
"The information we have concluded is that the Ares was attacked in the Timor Sea, her crew was taken and so too was the hi-tech equipment aboard the Ares. They attacked with plasma fire and torpedoes, which made the damage to the haul. Both Captain Hudson and Commander Ford say it is the same as the Macronesian attack strikes that they have seen so far." Angel informed the group. Quickly discussions were being forced about the room.  
The designer of the Ares Captain Marsden spoke. "It can be assumed that they have that technology aboard their subs." A hubbub of talking began again, they all knew now how they could attack their subs. McGrath brought up a map of Australia and they began to work out their attack sequence, once they had the subs disarmed and captured.  
"We have to work out a point were we can attack." Sectary General McGrath told them. They discussed various areas, while Angel stared at the map. Hudson watched her as a smiled broke across her face.  
"Has it been that long since you seen home?" He asked her.  
"Yes, but I remember a story my father told me!" She said and began to laugh. "Its prefect Captain." She told him as everyone else looked at her.  
Angel looked at McGrath. "Did you ever think of letting an Australian talk to you about the war?"   
"We have!" McGrath answered puzzled by the comment, as Australian Sectary General Martin Banks cleared his throat to make himself known.  
Angel looked at Banks and smiled at him, she forgot about him. "Yeah! But not a South Australian?" McGrath and Banks said nothing. Angel got up and said. "Bring up a map of South Australia." Quickly this was done. "Sitting there I saw something and remember something I had forgotten. As a child my father would tell me tales of how immigrants and convicts were able to come into South Australia." She pointed to the area on the map the stretch of water between South Australian mainland and Kangaroo Island. "Backstairs Passage was used since the British proclaimed the state, up until the 1970s this place was used. I doubt they (the Macronesians) would think of anyone using it! We don't get told about Backstairs Passage in school or anything, it just those who know the tales who tell them. I reckon you could get into Australia that way." The hubbub started again and they were planning to go to war and to take Australia back for her people, while the seaQuest would head their fleet of submarines.  
  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
  
Angel's House in New Cape Quest.  
  
Angel punched in the pin number to open the door, in walking in she found Emogene, Tim, Tony and Lucas watching a vid disk of an old movie on the large screen before them. There were pizza boxes around the lounge room; Angel had to step over them.   
"So we're enjoying ourselves?" She asked.  
The general consensus was 'yes'.  
"That is good to hear!" Angel said as she took a piece of pizza.  
"How did it go?" Tim asked looking at her.  
"Well they have been told all the right information they wanted to hear and they worked something out." Angel replied.  
"What?" Tony asked.  
Angel looked at Emogene. "Go up stairs, Em!"  
"Why?" The nine-year-old asked.  
"Em, please go up stairs. Daddy and I will tell you later, but not now!" Angel said, as her daughter was reluctant to go.  
As soon as Emogene was gone, Angel told them. "There's going to be a battle to take over Australia, and seaQuest is going to led the troops."   
The three-seaQuest personnel sat in silence. Then they got up as Tim said. "We got to go back to seaQuest." As they were leaving Tim kissed Angel and told her. "I'll be back later tonight." And he was.   
That night he held her in his arms, on board seaQuest there was no time or place for them to do such a thing, but now in the privacy of Angel's room they could now do this. "You know when we came back I saw this as not my war, I didn't want to fight." His hand ran down Angel's back. "But now with you and Em in my life, I see it as mine. I need to fight to win back your home, I want to give that to you both." Tim O'Neill said.   
Angel kissed him. "That is why I love you so, you would help no matter what. Tim I want you to go, but I want you with me. I want you to get my home back for me."  
"I'll do it for you." And Lt Tim O'Neill had a purpose to fight in the Macronesian war.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
Epilogue.  
After the week was up the seaQuest and her crew went off to fight in the Macronesian war. The first three months the submarines attacked and took prisoners of the Macronesian subs. For the next six months it was hard fighting on land, but in the end the UEO troops were able to take hold of all major places in Australia and by the end of the year they had total control of the great southern land known as Australia. The seaQuest made her way home, back to New Cape Quest for repairs.  
Tim O'Neill was glad to be going back to see his lover and daughter once again. But when he got to their house he found out they where on a maritime archaeological assignment, that was top secret UEO business. So while seaQuest was being repaired Tim spent his time on some well deserved R & R, with his friends. After two weeks of repairs were completed, Hudson informed his crew that seaQuest had to pick up some Australian UEO people from Spain and to bring the to Australia. Tim felt his chest tighten he would not get to see Angel and Emogene, he sent them a Vid Link message telling them he loved them and had hoped to see them soon, but that would have to wait. And the seaQuest made her way to Spain.  
In Spain the seaQuest was there only long enough to pick up the people.  
"Commander the Australian UEO Personnel are aboard." Communications officer, Lt Tim O'Neill told Commander Ford.  
"Thank you, O'Neill. Set a course to Australia, helms people." Ford told Henderson and Piccolo who sat at the helm.  
"Yes people look alive we want to go home!" Said a female voice at the entrance. Tim heard the voice, it sounded like...but it couldn't be? Could it? Tim turned around to see Captain Hudson with the three UEO personnel - Doctors Baxter St Claire, Jeff Petrie and Angela Wilson. "Thank you once again Captain." Angel said to Hudson.  
"That's fine Dr Wilson." Hudson said.  
Emogene walked over to Tim. "Surprise, daddy you are surprised aren't you?" She asked with a smile.  
"Yes!" He said as he hugged her he had missed her so much, even though they hadn't known each other long. "I am surprised. Now lets take you home!"  
"To Australia!" Emogene called out.  
Tim smiled at Angel. "Yes to Australia!"  
  
  
The End.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]  
Final note - Season three was not my favourite season. The Macronesians what was that all about? I know, I feel and I believe that Australia would not do as has been suggested it is illogical. Australian government and as a democratic nation is too entrench with our tries to England. Yes we may want to be a republic, but this is a part of our growing process as a nation. If there was a President like figure (when Australia one day does became a republic) who is after world domination, I doubt he would last long! But we pride ourselves on being peaceful! Federation came about not through war, we helped in East Timor, and we support our allies in Vietnam and in The Gulf War, we have even allowed our allies to use our soil for Nuclear testing since the 1940s and as yet we are still on friendly terms with them. We are a democratic nation and I doubt it would happen, we haven't even become a republic yet (And it is the 21st century) and couldn't do what was suggest without the Queen's OK. So until we are a republic and my faith in my fellow Australian's drops then I am sticking to my point that the season three plot line would not happen.   
Well if you notice the speech patterns on how Tim says mom and Angel says mum, that's to show the American and the Australian way of saying the same word and giving Tim an American fill about him, while Angel is his contrast as an Australian. Emogene was originally going to be called Poppy, but like Dr St Claire says, I was told 'It's too flowery!' So Poppy became Emogene's middle name. Thanks to my sister, Elle who said that to me in the way that I made Dr St Claire speak. Also she told me that seen as Tim and Angel both like Ancient Greek Mythology, their child should have a Greek name. Emogene is Greek for Beloved Child, which she is as Angel carries the hope that Tim is alive.   
The song Angel sings is (Are you) The one that I've been waiting for? From CDs The Boatman's Called (1997, Mushroom records) and The Best of Nick Cave and The Bad seeds (1998, Mushroom records). Words and Music by Nick Cave (1997), Performed by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. This song is trying to show that Angel was waiting for Tim and she had faith he would come back to her. While I can thank the countless shows I have seen with interviews with Hugh Jackman and their showing scenes of his singing from Okalahoma! For O'Neill humming a tune from the musical, because I was when writing that scene.  
This was to be the end of the trilogy, but I have had great ideas for other stories, actually another two. I may not write them, we'll see what comes.  
  
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 


End file.
